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Hosted Hermes Agent

Updated

Short answer: ElfHosted will run it for you. Hosted Hermes on ElfHosted is Nous Research's Hermes Agent running 24/7, with your ElfHosted login in front of it, a browser dashboard with chat built in, memory and skills that survive restarts, a messaging gateway for your phone, and an AI model already set up, so the first thing you do can be asking it something. It's $9 a month after a $1, 7-day trial.

Get your $1, 7-day trial!

What is Hermes Agent?

Hermes is an open-source AI agent from Nous Research. It runs a learning loop that writes and improves its own skills from experience, keeps a persistent memory it can search across sessions, and schedules its own work with a built-in cron scheduler. You can drive it from a terminal, a browser dashboard, a desktop app, or the chat apps you already use.

Why host it?

An agent that schedules its own work and answers your messages has to be running when those things happen. On a laptop, it goes quiet whenever the lid closes. Keeping it up somewhere else means looking after the gateway process, environment variables, model keys, updates and the storage its memory lives on.

Where can you run it?

  • Your own computer. Hermes runs locally, and that's free. It's only available while the computer's awake.
  • A VPS you manage. Always on, but the updates, persistence, backups and security are yours.
  • Hermes Cloud from Nous Research. The upstream project's own hosted option, through Nous Portal. See the Hermes website for what it includes.
  • ElfHosted. Your own instance, run and updated for you, alongside any other ElfHosted apps you use.

What do you get with Hermes on ElfHosted?

  • Always on. Hermes runs around the clock, so cron jobs and long-running work fire when they should.
  • Your login, no second password. The dashboard sits behind ElfHosted single sign-on, and your instance is private to you.
  • Memory that lasts. Memories, skills and session history live in /config/hermes/ and survive restarts and upgrades. You can browse them in FileBrowser.
  • AI included, or bring your own. Hermes works from the first chat on an included ElfHosted model, with an allowance that suits everyday use. Prefer your own? Add OpenRouter, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint, and your choice is never overwritten.
  • A message away. The always-on gateway lets Hermes talk to you on Telegram, Discord, email, WhatsApp, Signal and iMessage.
  • Your other apps too. The Hermes desktop app can drive your hosted instance, and Hermes Fleet on iPhone or any OpenAI-compatible tool such as Open WebUI can connect to its API server with a key you set.

Hermes or OpenClaw?

Both are open-source personal AI agents that live in your chat apps, use tools and remember more than a single conversation. Hermes leans into self-improving skills, searchable memory and a browser-first dashboard. OpenClaw has the widest set of chat channels. ElfHosted hosts both at the same price, with AI included in each; see Run OpenClaw without a server.

Already running OpenClaw on ElfHosted? Hermes imports your OpenClaw configuration on first launch and leaves OpenClaw untouched.

Getting started

  1. Start a $1, 7-day trial of hosted Hermes.
  2. Open Hermes from your dashboard. Your ElfHosted login signs you straight in.
  3. Start a chat. There's no API key to find first.
  4. Add a messaging platform from the dashboard when you want Hermes on your phone, then restart Hermes so the gateway picks it up.

The Hermes app page covers the desktop app, the API server and each messaging platform step by step.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I get a hosted Hermes Agent?

ElfHosted runs it for you 24/7 for $9 a month after a $1, 7-day trial. Nous Research also offers its own hosted option through Nous Portal.

Do I need an API key?

Not on ElfHosted. An included ElfHosted model is wired up from the start. Add your own provider any time for a favourite model or heavier use.

Can I talk to it from my phone?

Yes, on Telegram, Discord, email, WhatsApp, Signal or iMessage, or with Hermes Fleet on iPhone.

Does it keep its memory when it restarts?

Yes. Memories, skills and history are stored in your instance and survive restarts and upgrades.

Can I move from OpenClaw?

Yes. Hermes imports your OpenClaw configuration automatically on first launch.

About AI agent tools

Hermes is an infrastructure tool for building and running AI agents. ElfHosted provides hosting infrastructure only. You're responsible for how you configure and use your agent, including following the terms of any third-party service it talks to. See our Acceptable Use Policy.